Dr. Sam Whiting
Details
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College: School of Media & Communication
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Department: School - Media & Communication
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Campus: City Campus Australia
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samuel.whiting@rmit.edu.au
Open to
- Collaborative projects
- Industry Projects
- Join a web conference as a panellist or speaker
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
- Media enquiries
- Mentoring (long-term)
- Membership of an advisory committee
- Career advice
About
I am a Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, a 2024 Churchill Fellowship recipient, and a Fellow of The University of Sydney’s Australian Basic Income Lab. My research is primarily focused on issues of capital, labour, and value as they relate to the creative industries and the cultural economy. My published work explores issues of space, access, identity, heritage, cultural policy, and music scenes through the interdisciplinary lens of cultural studies, sociology, and popular music studies. I have research strengths in: live music ecosystems and their policy environments; the political economy of the music industries; cultural policy; basic income for artists; the effects of artificial intelligence on cultural labour; the sociology of music; and small venues. My previous research has included work with the University of South Australia, SA Music Development Office, City of Adelaide, National Live Music Office, City of Melbourne, Monash University, and the University of Tasmania. I previously worked as a Lecturer in Creative Industries at the University of South Australia (2020-2024) and served as a member of the Arts Industry Council of South Australia’s executive and an elected councillor for the City of West Torrens. My book, Small Venues: Precarity, Vibrancy and Live Music (2023), is out now through Bloomsbury.
Research fields
- 470201 Arts and cultural policy
- 470204 Cultural and creative industries
- 3603 Music
- 440404 Political economy and social change
- 441008 Sociology of culture
UN sustainable development goals
- 10 Reduced Inequalities
- 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
- 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
- 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
- 15 Life on Land
Academic positions
- Vice-Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow
- RMIT University
- School of Media and Communication
- Melbourne, Australia
- 5 Aug 2024 – Present
- Lecturer in Creative Industries (Level B)
- University of South Australia
- UniSA Creative
- Adelaide, Australia
- 3 Feb 2020 – 2 Aug 2024
- Sessional Lecturer, Course Coordinator, and Tutor
- University of Melbourne
- School of Culture and Communication
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jul 2019 – 30 Nov 2019
- Sessional Lecturer and Tutor
- RMIT University
- School of Media and Communication
- Melbourne, Australia
- 1 Jan 2015 – 30 Jun 2019
Non-academic positions
- Elected Councillor
- City of West Torrens
- Adelaide, Australia
- 1 Nov 2022 – 30 Jul 2024
Teaching interests
I have taught creative industries courses in several areas, such as introductory 101 courses, international study tours, cultural geography, placemaking, music industry careers, audience development, cultural economics, popular culture, cultural studies, sociology, and ethnomusicology. Courses range from core subjects for creative industries, arts management, and music industries students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, to open electives.
2020—present: Lecturer in Creative Industries (Level B)
Employer: UniSA Creative, The University of South Australia (UniSA)
Course Coordinator/Tour Leader (2023-2024) – UniSA Vietnam Creative Study Tour
Inaugural New Colombo Program (DFAT)-funded ‘Creative Cities in Vietnam’ study tour for 19 Bachelor of Creative students, running in June. This two-week tour visited Hanoi, Hoi An, and Saigon, and featured visits to the Vietnamese Institute of Cultural and Art Studies, the Hoi An Centre for Culture and Sport, and other official state institutions for the cultural and creative industries. Students engaged in local cultural activities, met with local creatives and cultural entrepreneurs, and immersed themselves in Vietnamese arts and culture. The success of this initial tour has led to more NCP funding.
Lecturer (SP5, 2021-2024) – Creative Spaces and Places (COMM2101), UniSA
Curriculum designer, course coordinator, lecturer, and tutor for ‘Creative Spaces and Places’ (COMM2101). A second-year core course within the Bachelor of Creative Industries (BCI) program at UniSA, this course takes an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to issues of space and place, drawing on cultural geography, Aboriginal knowledges and pedagogies, and place-based storytelling to encourage students to develop a proposed re- imagining, re-activation, or “story” in a key location in collaboration with key placemaking stakeholders and industry partners, such as Renew Adelaide and the City of Adelaide. This role requires delivery of weekly seminars on a variety of topics relating to creative spaces and places, the planning and delivery of seminar lesson plans, curriculum design and development, and the marking and administration of 70+ students. 12+ hours per week (three three-hour seminars, plus course design, marking and administration).
Course Coordinator (SP2, 2021-2022) – Digital Entrepreneurship (COMM4004), UniSA
Administrator, moderator, and online facilitator of ‘Digital Entrepreneurship’ (COMM4004), an elective within UniSA’s Master of Communication.
Lecturer (SP2, 2020-2024) – Introduction to Creative Industries (COMM1081), UniSA
Curriculum designer, course coordinator, lecturer, and tutor for ‘Introduction to Creative Industries’ (COMM1081). The first year, first semester core course for the BCI program, this course introduces students to the economic and cultural significance of the creative industries and how they work in practice. This role requires delivery of weekly lectures and seminars on a variety of topics relating to creative industries, the planning and delivery of seminar lesson plans, curriculum design and development, and the marking and administration of 100+ students. 12+ hours per week (four three-hour seminars, plus course design, marking and administration).
Co-teacher (SP5, 2020) – Match Studio (ARCH2027), UniSA
Co-delivery of ‘Match Studio’ (ARCH2027) with course coordinator Dr Jane Andrew to first year Bachelor of Creative Industries (BCI) students. ARCH2027 is an interdisciplinary research and professional practice studio, which delivers opportunities for student to work on client focused projects. This course aims to develop students’ ability to link disciplinary focused theory and skills within an interdisciplinary professional practice project context. ARCH2027 is also the first year, second semester core course for BCI students. This role involved the co- delivery of weekly seminars throughout which student teams developed a professional project based on a client brief. 12+ hours per week (four three-hour seminars, plus marking and administration).
2019: Sessional Lecturer, Course Coordinator, and Tutor
Employer: School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne
Lecturer (Sem 2, 2019) – The Economics of Culture (AMGT90018), Melbourne University
Sessional course coordinator, lecturer, and tutor for ‘The Economics of Culture’ (AMGT90018). A core course for the Master of Arts and Cultural Management program, this subject examines the arts and culture as part of an economic system. This role required delivery of weekly lectures on a variety of topics relating to cultural economics, the planning and delivery of tutorial lesson plans, curriculum design and development, and the marking and administration of 160+ students. 12+ hours per week (1.5-hour lecture and six one-hour tutorials, plus marking and administration).
Tutor (Sem 2, 2019) – Audiences and the Arts (AMGT90006), Melbourne University
Sessional tutor for ‘Audiences and the Arts’ (AMGT90006). This subject examines audience development and retention in arts and cultural activities through a variety of professional techniques including programming and content analysis, analysis of existing and lapsed audiences, as well as exploring and critiquing the effectiveness of conventional marketing tools. 2+ hours per week (two one-hour tutorials, plus marking and administration).
2015-2019: Sessional Lecturer and Tutor
Employer: School of Media and Communications, RMIT University
Tutor (Sem 1, 2019) – Music: Career Pathways (PERF2067), RMIT
Workshop coordinator for ‘Music: Career Pathways’ (PERF2067). A core subject for the third-year Music Industry students’, assessment includes a Career Portfolio, student-run industry seminars featuring panellists, as well as an industry placement (80 hours with a music industry employer). This role required the supervision of workshops and the co-presentation of lectures, featuring guest speakers from industry. 6+ hours per week (a three-hour workshop and a three-hour lecture).
Tutor (Sem 1, 2018-2019) – Popular Culture in Everyday Life (COMM2633), RMIT
Sessional tutor for the ‘Popular Culture and Everyday Life’ (COMM2633) course at RMIT University, which introduces key theoretical approaches to popular culture within a cultural studies framework. This role required the attendance of weekly lectures and the delivery of course content to students in a manner through which they can gain insight and engage in critical thinking and discussion. 12+ hours per week (six two-hour tutorials, plus lectures, marking and administration).
Tutor (Sem 1, 2015-2017) – Music in Popular Culture (COMM1081), RMIT
Sessional tutor for the ‘Music in Popular Culture’ (COMM1081) course at RMIT, which examines the role, significance, and influence of music in popular culture, engaging with contemporary issues, historical events and key genres in popular music, and considering how music and musicians are represented within diverse cultural forms, such as television, the media, and online. 4 marking and administration).
SUPERVISION EXPERIENCE
Co-Supervisor (2023-2024) – Steph Daughtry (PhD Candidate), UniSA
Supervisor of Steph Daughtry’s PhD Project ‘Cultural Labour, Public Support, and the Arts: Precedents and Current Experiments in Cultural Funding’, alongside Professor Justin O’Connor (principal supervisor) and Emma Webb (Vitalstatistix, industry partner).
Co-supervisor (2022-2024) – Victor Marshall (PhD Candidate), UniSA
Supervisor of Victor Marshall’s PhD Project ‘A Cultural History of Popular Music in Adelaide, 1960-2010’, alongside Professor Justin O’Connor (principal supervisor) and Dr Rosie Roberts (co-supervisor).
Co-supervisor (2022-2024) – Satu Teppo (PhD Candidate), UniSA
Supervisor of Satu Teppo’s PhD project ‘Arts Reset: Reframing Culture and Economy’, alongside Professor Justin O’Connor (principal supervisor) and Professor Susan Luckman (co-supervisor).
Co-supervisor (2021-2024) – Anthony Bonney (Masters by Research), UniSA
Supervisor of Anthony Bonney’s Masters by Research project ‘The impact of festivalisation on the Tasmanian cultural and creative ecology’, alongside Professor Justin O’Connor (principal supervisor).
Co-supervisor (Ongoing, 2020) – James Boss (PhD Candidate), UniSA
Co-supervisor of James Boss’ PhD project ‘Patchwork of a Scene: Rurality, Resourcefulness and Social Belonging’, alongside Professor Susan Luckman (principal supervisor) and Professor Justin O’Connor (co-supervisor).
Research interests
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Chief Investigator (2024-28) – Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellowship
Sam is a 2024 Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, pursuing a four-year project on crisis in the Australian music industries with a focus on the impact of GenAI, technologies of automation, and other contemporary points of inflection for the sector. His research involves stakeholder partnerships to inform methodology and scope, ensuring that findings inform policy decisions and provide guidance to the Australian music industries. His research is aimed at informing advocacy towards better cultural policymaking in Australia, and he hopes to collaborate with APRA/AMCOS, MEAA, Music Australia and other music industries stakeholders as the project develops.
Chief Investigator (2023-24) – Musical Automation in the Australian Games Industry: A Comparative Study of Adaptive Audio and Generative Music in Game Development
Chief Investigator (leading a team including Dr Susannah Emery and John Oestmann) exploring the potential of automation for composers and musicians in games by commissioning research and development in collaboration with game designers, a composer/producer, and major industry partners and stakeholders. Outputs/outcomes include: interview-based qualitative research on product development opportunities for
Australian games studios interested in musical automation; the production of a small game – a kind of interactive 5-track album - where each track takes place inside a virtual environment in Unreal Engine; A demonstration of what can be achieved with live adaptive compositional and sound design systems in a video game context, with the design framework and project code freely available for other composers and musicians to utilize for their own projects; regular video diaries capturing the game's development, and compiled into a short documentary; translation of research findings will be published as an industry white paper.
Chief Investigator (2021-23) – ‘Music Industry Health Check’, Music Development Office & CoA
Chief Investigator (alongside fellow CI Dr Rosie Roberts) on two ‘Developing Creative Partnerships’ funding programs (each funded for up to $3k each) in partnership with the South Australian Music Development Office (MDO), who provided an additional $13.2k of funding towards the project. The MDO commissioned the lead researchers to conduct a ‘Music Industry Health Check’, which included an audit of performance venues across South Australia to gain a better understanding of touring networks across the state, as well as qualitative interviews with venue owners and artists to identify potential growth areas within the live music sector. Findings and recommendations were delivered to the MDO in March 2022 (which will be integrated into their upcoming strategic plan document) and published as a CP3 Working Paper, with the potential for the project to be developed into a longitudinal study, including regular SA live music censuses in collaboration with Music SA and the City of Adelaide.
Chief Investigator (2020-21) – CP3 Seed Project, UniSA Creative
Chief Investigator on UniSA research project, ‘Exploring the social, cultural and economic significance of non- traditional music venues in regional South Australia: a case study of the Barn at Wombat Flat’ alongside fellow CI, Dr Rosie Roberts. This project received internal funding from the Creative People, Products and Places (CP3) Research Centre for $3.6k. The project allowed the CIs to establish a program of research upon which to pursue further funding, including publications (Roberts and Whiting 2021), laying the groundwork for the ‘Music Industry Health Check’ project and ‘Developing Creative Partnerships’ grants outlined above.
Research Assistant (3 days a week, 2016-19) – Monash University & RMIT University
Primary research assistant on the ARC Discovery project, ‘Melbourne: Interrogating the Music City’. Archival research, project and deadline management, document delivery, written summaries, photo-documenting, administration, and liaising with multiple partner institutions such as the State Library of Victoria, Arts Centre, National Library of Australia, National Film & Sound Archive etc.
Research Assistant (Short-term contract, 2017) – City of Melbourne via RMIT University
Contract work for the City of Melbourne’s Music Strategy, including research and reporting on what spaces exist for music performance, collaboration, and rehearsal in the City of Melbourne. This role involved compiling data from multiple sources to map the live music venues currently operating in the City of Melbourne. Also included was the development of Specification Guidelines for potential future music spaces, their layout and design.
Research Assistant (2014-15) - University of Tasmania
Research assistant on The Economic and Cultural Value of Live Music in Australia 2014 report. This role involved carrying out face-to-face interviews, the coding and categorising of responses, the authoring of a literature review, and ongoing work on several research papers, including a co-publication with chief investigator Dr Dave Carter (Massey University).
